This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In recent years, flat panel televisions have become enormously popular in both commercial and residential sectors. As the prices for plasma and liquid crystal display (“LCD”) flat panel displays have continued to fall, and the quality for the same devices have improved, more and more businesses and individuals have purchased such devices for both home and business purposes.
One of the advantages of flat panel display devices that customers have found particularly appealing is their relatively low thickness. Because conventional “tube” televisions have a relatively large depth, the placement options for such devices are quite limited. In the residential setting, most users require a television stand or large entertainment center to house the television. Such stands or entertainment centers can take up significant floor space, which is often undesirable. In the commercial or educational setting, users will often install large overhead mounting systems that can contain the television. However, these systems usually require professional installation and, once the television is secured to the mount, it is often difficult to access and adjust due to its height. With flat panel televisions, on the other hand, users are presented with a relatively new option: mounting the television directly to a mounting surface such as a wall. By mounting the television to the wall, the user can eliminate consumption of potentially valuable floor space.
Although the introduction of flat panel display devices on a wide scale has presented new opportunities to both residential and commercial customers, it has also presented new challenges. In particular, mounting a flat panel television directly to a mounting surface such as a wall presents issues for neatly and discreetly routing power cords and input cables to the television. For example, typical wall-mount installations include a television being mounted to a wall and a media source located a distance from the television. Thus, the input cables often must be routed across a wall from the media source to the television. One way to solve this routing issue is to route the input cables through the wall. However, this is a costly and time-consuming option.